Layne Kruse honored with 2023 Luke Soules Award by the State Bar of Texas

Partner Layne Kruse (Houston) has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 Luther (Luke) H. Soules III Award by the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas.

This annual award is given to a lawyer who embodies excellence in the practice of the law and exemplary service to the State Bar. The award is designed to recognize an attorney who demonstrates outstanding professionalism and community impact, who has demonstrated a commitment to equal justice under law and conduct promoting the rule of law.

Kruse, a seasoned trial lawyer for antitrust and complex business litigation matters, has represented clients in petroleum production and marketing, health care, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and other industries. Formerly Norton Rose Fulbright’s US Head of Antitrust and Competition, as well as Head of Litigation in its Houston office, Kruse was the founding chair the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. He has continued to represent inmates on “death row” in Texas and is an authority on intellectual disability problems. He was one of the first recipients of the Justice in Action Award from Texas Defender Service. 

Kruse has also chaired Texas Appleseed and continues to serve on its board, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding solutions to justice issues in Texas. He chaired the State Bar’s Antitrust and Business Litigation Section; served as president of the Texas Association of Certified Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists and served in numerous leadership positions in the ABA Antitrust Section.

Past honorees of the Luke Soules Award include Hon. Royal Ferguson, David Beck, Hon. Eva Guzman, Jim Coleman, George Bramblett and Eduardo Rodriguez, Jr.

Kruse will be honored with a presentation on January 18 in Austin, Texas at the 2024 Litigation Update Institute.